Austin Czarnik And Otto Koivula Sent To Bridgeport; Casey Cizikas And Brock Nelson Activated
- The Islanders announced (Twitter link) that they have returned forwards Austin Czarnik and Otto Koivula to Bridgeport of the AHL. New York needed to free up two roster spots to activate Brock Nelson from IR and Casey Cizikas from COVID protocol. Czarnik has been productive in limited action with the Isles this season, picking up a goal and two assists in four games while Koivula recorded his first career NHL point – an assist – over three appearances.
Anatolii Golyshev, Jayson Megna Clear Waivers
Dec 9: Both players have cleared waivers. Golyshev will have his contract terminated, while Megna has been loaned (along with Jacob MacDonald) to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL.
Dec 8: The New York Islanders have placed Anatolii Golyshev on waivers today, and he’ll be joined by Jayson Megna of the Colorado Avalanche, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Given Golyshev was already in the minor leagues and is waiver-exempt still, his placement is on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination.
It was easy to spot a termination coming for Golyshev, given he hasn’t yet received a single game at the NHL level. The 26-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Islanders back in 2016, signed his one-year entry-level deal at the end of last season to get it out of the way, and then inked a one-year, $750K one-way deal with the Islanders in October. After a long, successful career in the KHL, it never seemed likely that Golyshev would sit in the minors all season.
The undersized forward has eight full seasons under his belt with Yekaterinburg in the KHL, hitting career-highs of 25 goals and 44 points in 2015-16. In 15 games with the Bridgeport Islanders, he had five goals and seven points, but will likely be heading back overseas. Technically, Golyshev will be a free agent able to sign with another NHL team, but that is unlikely in this case.
Megna meanwhile actually received a great opportunity with the Avalanche this season, continually filling in for whoever was injured at the time. With Nathan MacKinnon back and J.T. Compher closing in on a return, his spot is needed. In 20 games this season, the 31-year-old undrafted forward has registered three assists but hasn’t scored yet. In fact, he hasn’t tallied an NHL goal since the 2016-17 season with the Vancouver Canucks.
While there is a chance he is claimed because of his experience this season, there have been other forwards with higher upside clear recently. Megna will likely goto the minor leagues where he will remain a strong injury replacement for Colorado.
Casey Cizikas Not Yet Ready To Return
- Despite Casey Cizikas reaching ten days since he entered the COVID protocol, he isn’t ready to return for the New York Islanders. Head coach Barry Trotz told reporters including Andrew Gross of Newsday that Cizikas is “not really in the picture” at the moment, as he continues to work his way back. The 30-year-old forward hasn’t played since November 26 and has just one point on the season.
Several Players Removed From COVID Protocol As Islanders Resume Season
The New York Islanders will be back on the ice tomorrow against the San Jose Sharks, resuming their schedule after missing the last two games due to a COVID outbreak. Not only that, they’ll have a good amount of reinforcements for the group as well. Anders Lee, Josh Bailey, Adam Pelech, Andy Greene, and Ross Johnston are all out of the COVID protocol, according to head coach Barry Trotz, who spoke with reporters including Andrew Gross of Newsday. Trotz expects four of those five to play tomorrow night.
That’s everyone but Kieffer Bellows, who was the last to enter the protocol before the team was shut down. It also means that if Lee plays tomorrow as expected, it will be the first time the Islanders’ faithful will get to see their captain at the new UBS Arena. Lee has only played on the road so far this season, scoring four goals in 12 games.
“Our playoffs are now” said Trotz today, as the Islanders resume their season looking up from the bottom of the Metropolitan Division standings. They’ve only played 17 games, six fewer than the division-leading Washington Capitals, but have just five wins and 12 points. They’ll be looking to crack an eight-game losing streak and somehow get back into the mix despite a brutal start to the year.
NHL Postpones Islanders Games Through November 30
Dec 1: The league has announced that the Islanders are now cleared to resume their schedule and will play on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. Revisions of the rest of the schedule will be announced when completed.
Nov 27: With the Islanders getting hit hard with a COVID outbreak, the league has decided to pause things for a few days as they announced that they’ve postponed their games through November 30th. The games affected are Sunday against the Rangers and Tuesday versus Philadelphia. If they’re able to return to action after that time, their first game back will be Thursday when they’re scheduled to host San Jose. The league is in the process of reviewing and revising their schedule.
Per the league’s announcement, another player entered COVID protocol today, giving them eight players potentially unavailable to play. While they didn’t reveal who it was, GM Lou Lamoriello told Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link) that forward Casey Cizikas is the one who tested positive today. The other seven that aren’t available are forwards Josh Bailey, Kieffer Bellows, Ross Johnston, and Anders Lee plus defensemen Zdeno Chara, Andy Greene, and Adam Pelech.
The Islanders are the second team to have COVID-related postponements as the Senators had three games postponed due to their outbreak earlier this month. As a result of that, the NHL’s ability to opt out of playing in the upcoming Olympics was activated and while there’s no indication that they’re leaning in that direction at this time, the more games they have to postpone will certainly affect their final decision on that matter.
Minor Transactions: 11/29/21
Perhaps the American Thanksgiving break spurred some action in players and teams alike, as there has been a flurry of intriguing moves of late – and not just in the NHL. Keep up with the action in the minors, Europe, and more right here:
- After clearing unconditional waivers on Thursday and seeing his contract terminated by the Nashville Predators, Patrick Harper has found a new home. HPK of Finland’s Liiga has announced a deal with the former Boston University standout for the remainder of the season. While Harper recorded 115 points in 128 NCAA games, that scoring touch has all but disappeared in the pros. He recorded only two points in 15 AHL games last season, which earned him a demotion to the ECHL, and was held scoreless through nine AHL games this game as well. Harper seemingly feels a fresh start in a new league could be the answer to this development hiccup – and at just 23 years old he could be right – but a move to Europe via contract termination isn’t a strong signal of a long career to come in North America.
- Another college star at a crossroads is defenseman Will Cullen. After an excellent 2020-21 season with Bowling Green State University, Cullen was on NHL radars this off-season and could have signed an AHL contract. Instead, Cullen decided to extend his NCAA career as a graduate transfer at Miami University, likely hoping to earn an entry-level contract this spring. However, this lasted just seven games, as Cullen has departed the RedHawks early to sign an AHL deal with the Bridgeport Islanders. While this could be seen as just a delayed inevitability, Cullen’s late transition means that he will head to the ECHL to begin his pro career. He now has to climb a couple of pro ranks if he wants to make his way to the NHL. A puck-moving defenseman who logged 25 points and a +20 rating in 28 games last season, Cullen has the ability but needs to make the most of an unusual midseason transition.
- NHL veteran David Booth is not quite done. After taking last season off, Booth is back in the game, signing in Norway where he last suited up in 2019-20. The 37-year-old has inked a one-year deal with Valerenga, the team announced. Booth last played in the NHL in 2017-18 with the Detroit Red Wings, but has spent five of his past six seasons in Europe after nine years in the NHL to begin his pro career. With over 500 games and 230 points in the NHL to his credit, Booth is still a major addition for Valerenga – or any roster in Norway – despite his age.
- The WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes are potentially buying low on a 2022 NHL Draft prospect, hoping he can help turn their season around or at least become a core piece down the road. Forward Tristan Zandee has been acquired from the Calgary Hitmen at the meager price of a 2022 fifth-round pick, the Hurricanes announced. Zandee has desirable size at 6’3″ and 200 lbs. but has struggled to score in the WHL with nine points in 21 games in last year’s shortened campaign and only three points through 15 games so far this year. However, that hasn’t stopped some NHL Draft sources from eyeing Zandee as an intriguing prospect given his stature and previous production in the AJHL. Getting a fresh start in Lethbridge, Zandee could find himself with more scoring opportunity and a chance to boost both his development and his draft stock.
Lower-Body Injury For Noah Dobson
- The COVID situation for the Islanders is bad enough at the moment but they got some bad news on the injury front as well as blueliner Noah Dobson is dealing with a lower-body injury, mentions Mollie Walker of the New York Post. It has been a disappointing start for the 21-year-old who has been quiet offensively with just four assists in 14 games while being on the fringes of the top four on their back end. Dobson is a pending restricted free agent and any extended absence – there’s no timeline for a return just yet – would certainly hurt his chances of a long-term deal this summer.
Chara Placed In COVID Protocol; Nelson Out 2-4 Weeks
The New York Islanders have had another player enter this COVID protocol, as general manager Lou Lamoriello told reporters including Arthur Staple of The Athletic that Zdeno Chara tested positive. The rest of the team has tested negative so far, and they are preparing to play tomorrow night.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of the bad news for the Islanders. Lamoriello also explained that Brock Nelson will be out two to four weeks with a lower-body injury. To fill out the roster, Thomas Hickey and Anatolii Golyshev have been recalled from the AHL.
Chara joins Adam Pelech, Andy Greene, Anders Lee, Josh Bailey, Kieffer Bellows, and Ross Johnston in the protocol, all of whom are not expected back in time for tomorrow. That means the Islanders will continue to play extremely short-handed unless the league steps in to postpone some games. The team is scheduled to take on the New York Rangers tomorrow night and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.
It’s not even just COVID-related absences hurting the team though, as Ryan Pulock is also out long-term with an injury and now Nelson also finds himself on the shelf. The team has now lost six games in a row and finds themselves slipping completely out of the playoff picture in the Metropolitan Division.
Anthony Beauvillier Removed; Kieffer Bellows Added To COVID Protocol
According to New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello, forward Kieffer Bellows has entered the league’s COVID protocol. However, forward Anthony Beauvillier, who was placed on the list Saturday prior to their game against the Calgary Flames, has been deemed a false positive and is eligible to play in their Sunday night game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Islanders still have six players in COVID protocol, including Josh Bailey, who still remains quarantined in Florida where he originally tested positive.
Getting Beauvillier back into the fold is huge for this Islanders team, who dropped their first-ever game at UBS Arena 5-2 to Calgary. Beauvillier returns to the team’s top-six forward group and has three goals and four assists in 13 games this season. In his absence, Andy Andreoff rode shotgun on the second line with Brock Nelson and Oliver Wahlstrom.
Bellows was in the lineup against Calgary, playing first-line duties with Zach Parise and Mathew Barzal. Through five games this season, the 23-year-old Bellows has just one assist and has been limited to just 11:37 per game.
In addition to Bailey, the team remains without captain Anders Lee, Adam Pelech, Ross Johnston, and Andy Greene.
Three New York Islanders Added To COVID Protocol
Just under two hours ahead of the New York Islanders’ home opener against the Calgary Flames, Anthony Beauvillier, Adam Pelech, and Andy Greene were added to the NHL’s COVID protocol, per Newsday’s Andrew Gross.
It’s an extremely tough situation for the team, which now has six total players in COVID protocol. Josh Bailey, Anders Lee, and Ross Johnston were added over the past week. Their number one defenseman, Ryan Pulock, is on injured reserve.
The Islanders recalled forwards Richard Panik and Andy Andreoff as well as defensemen Grant Hutton and Paul LaDue today from the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders. Hutton, along with Robin Salo, who the Islanders recalled earlier, could make his NHL debut.
Losing Beauvillier and Pelech, in particular, is tough to swallow for the Islanders, who sit third-last in the Eastern Conference with a 5-6-2 record after their season-opening 13-game road trip. Beauvillier is one of the team’s top point producers with three goals and seven points through 13 games this season. While Pelech has just two assists, he’s counted on for his defense, not his scoring ability. He’s averaged 21:07 per game and with a +4 rating, his minutes will be tough to replace.